# Avoiding the Zzzzz's



## Phantom (Feb 27, 2012)

Okay, so I was almost literally falling asleep at work earlier having fallen victim to 'the bob'. You know, when you're trying your hardest to stay awake, but your eyes start to close and next thing you know your head is at your chest and you jolt awake... then quickly scan the room to make sure no one noticed?

Yeah... that. 

Now I'm wide awake because I know a few tricks to staying awake. I'm curious what yours are. I mean everyone has those days when your coffee or energy drink just _do not_ cut it. 

Some of my tricks are; Splashing cold water on my face, especially the eyes; nomming quite a few mints or chewing gum; or what I just did which was going up a bunch of steps. 

You have any funny stories about falling asleep or 'bobbing' somewhere where you really shouldn't? 

When I was in explorers I had a baaad 'bobbing' moment. See we did our scenarios, but we also had academics. Things that you couldn't have scenarios on, like learning about different gangs and statistics and stuff. We were in an academic for internet crimes, and I'd been up studying for the scenario later the next day. I'm sitting in this academic with like 200 other police explorers and I keep falling asleep. I would wake up and we'd be on a different powerpoint slide. We had a test after and by some miracle my team won first place in the academic, when their team leader, me, was falling asleep the entire time. That was bad. :P

I've seen some people have weird ways of staying awake. Once in class a guy randomly stood up and started doing push ups in world history. O_o


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## ultraviolet (Feb 27, 2012)

I fall asleep on the train pretty much every time I go to and from uni! Which is kind of bad because unless you have your bag close to your chest, it's pretty easy for someone to pickpocket. I don't really have any tricks for this; music sometimes helps and sometimes it doesn't, and eating always helps but I'm not allowed to eat on public transport.


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## Phantom (Feb 27, 2012)

Would they let you have gum or mints? Seriously! Pop like six altoids and you're basically like "Ew, but WHOA AWAKE TIME!"


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## Tarvos (Feb 27, 2012)

my way is just like: MORE COFFEE which leads to a ridiculous zombified state


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## Noctowl (Feb 27, 2012)

I'm caffeine sensitive (I'm an ex addict) so I just drink lots of sprite. Then I feel ill because I need sleep.

Mints don't work for me any more.


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## Murkrow (Feb 27, 2012)

I was quite tired last week, almost fell asleep in an early morning lecture. The only thing that made me keep awake was the fact that people were laughing at the person a couple of rows in front of me who had already fallen asleep.


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## Nanabshuckle8 (Feb 27, 2012)

Usually I just stare into some sort of lightsource, it should work. This is probably a good time to mention that I don't drink coffee (which is uncommon, since Finland is THE biggest consumer of coffee per capita, 3x as much as the U.S), so really, the only thing I have to get me up is light and sound. Woe..


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## Zero Moment (Feb 27, 2012)

I just woke up and I'm already bobbing :P

So I'm going to go dip my hands in freezing water!


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## M&F (Feb 27, 2012)

I believe the best thing that can be done about sleepiness is... Well, sleep. It's a matter of finding the right opportunity to take a nap, even if it's for less than a minute.

Although it does get troublesome if no such opportunity does come along.

Also, I fucking hate coffee. The smell of somebody having some nearby is enough to disgust me.


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## Dannichu (Feb 27, 2012)

Mmm, I dislike coffee too, and I drink so much tea, unless I have literally about ten cups, I don't feel any more awake than before. 

The time where I find myself nodding off the most is during a spectacularly boring 2-hour seminar I have this term, and I usually doodle as a way to stave off boredom. Having weird-face-making contests with people on the other side of the room also helps.


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## Tailsy (Feb 27, 2012)

I actually rarely ever get that! I'm an awful sleeper - I tend to sleep about ~4-5 hours at a time and I'm constantly a little tired, but I'm not usually so tired that I keep falling asleep against my will. I am a master of my own brain :D Then I collapse and sleep for like 16 hours when I don't have anything to do.

I don't recommend this, but I also don't really have any tips?? Except 'be ridiculous, like me'! And that's just no good, bro.


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## Spoon (Feb 27, 2012)

Caffeine, excerise, a glass of cold water, and deep breathing work best for me. However, it's probably best to get quality sleep in the first place. Listening to music or bright lights (like a computer monitor) before or during sleep tends not go well for me.


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## Momo(th) (Feb 27, 2012)

5 HOUR ENERGY, OF COURSE!
But don't seriously drink that sh*t because it gave me diarreha

Try eating a large breakfast (and by large I don't mean eating another bowl of cereal) I mean eating something high in proteins, like an egg sandwich, and SKIP THE COFFEE. It makes you crash in he afternoon, which could screw with your tomorrow.


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## ultraviolet (Feb 27, 2012)

Phantom said:


> Would they let you have gum or mints? Seriously! Pop like six altoids and you're basically like "Ew, but WHOA AWAKE TIME!"


sugarfree gum and mints tend to have ingredients that aren't really good for your digestion when you eat lots of them at once and my digestion is pretty much fucked anyway, so. gum and mints with sugar in them I'd rather not touch either because I already need like, three fillings.


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## Wargle (Feb 28, 2012)

I used to have this problem until I got hired at Starbucks <-=

What I do not have a coffee addiction I do not love it to death. (shhhhhh)


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## Blastoise Fortooate (Feb 28, 2012)

Coffee if I can get some in the morning, otherwise a Mountain Dew. That's only if I didn't sleep well, though. Sometimes if I'm falling asleep in the middle of class then I'll just _slap _myself and that'll wake me up a bit. I sleep well most of the time, though! Nightmares do not dare enter mon dark mind's recesses.


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## blazheirio889 (Feb 28, 2012)

Nowadays I tend to sleep around 5 hours a day, and that means I'm usually a zombie in the morning. Nothing to be done about that; I take a nap in the car on the way to school, but I'm still pretty much dead during my first class. But once I push through my first class, I feel pretty awake, and that continues until 2am when I collapse, and the cycle begins again.

On the weekends I just catch up by sleeping until noon or later. :P


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## H-land (Feb 28, 2012)

blazheirio889 said:


> Nowadays I tend to sleep around 5 hours a day, and that means I'm usually a zombie in the morning. Nothing to be done about that; I take a nap in the car on the way to school, but I'm still pretty much dead during my first class. But once I push through my first class, I feel pretty awake, and that continues until 2am when I collapse, and the cycle begins again.
> 
> On the weekends I just catch up by sleeping until noon or later. :P


What do you DO at night? ...Do I want to know?

I mean, I've been going to bed at 2 a lot recently, too, but I don't have to get up for class until 8:30 or 9:00.  I can get pretty tired, but I'm on medication, so I have a harder time getting to sleep (especially napping) than staying awake. Been the story of my life, really.

Unfortunately, I still can't always pay attention in class.


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## blazheirio889 (Feb 28, 2012)

H-land said:


> What do you DO at night? ...Do I want to know?


... hehe. Why yes, you /do/ want to know. 

(nothing special, really. Do long-term homework, draw, browse forums. Anything to avoid going to sleep. :P)


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## Cerberus87 (Feb 28, 2012)

Sugarfree Red Bulls. Lots of them.


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## Phantom (Feb 28, 2012)

I am nocturnal, so I am usually up at night and sleeping during the day. Twice a week I have to be awake during the day for a few hours so those two days are usually pretty sucky. Other than that most days my schedule is wake up as soon as the sun is down, go to bed around 0900, about.


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## Automata heart (Feb 28, 2012)

did a all-nighter, fell asleep at the hospital waiting for my mum, and the nurse had to wake me up because i was "very still", and i tend to fall asleep  on my someone special couch,so now i sit down and i'm all f**k i'm tired.........
i normaly internet all night if i want any chance of being awake any time before 10am. so yeah, homestuck all the night.


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## shy ♡ (Feb 28, 2012)

This always fucks me over. I get sleepy while _driving_ and coffee doesn't work on me. I try singing and that keeps me awake but it distracts me and then I'm not as focused on the road. e_e So then I turn the GPS on and usually it's on mute but I un-mute it so the annoying voice brings me back to focus whenever I need to make a turn. And I bring a snack like an apple or pear to nom in the middle of the drive. This is for like, 40-minute drives, mind, not anything shorter. Also, only drives I'm _very_ familiar with, otherwise the stress of driving will fill me with adrenaline and I'll definitely not fall asleep. (Yay anxiety!)

But even when not driving, I'm practically falling asleep all day every day. As long as there's nothing to _do_ I'm in a state of tiredness - this is mostly during daylight hours because I'm 7 hours ahead of everyone online so there's nothing happening. I take a lot of short naps. :\ I'm also low on vitamin D which makes me tired and is affected by my constant sleeping during daylight, lol... But since coffee doesn't work on me idk what to do about it.

Do energy drinks work based on something other than caffeine? :v


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## bulbasaur (Feb 29, 2012)

Oh, just enough sugar to give you diabetes several times over.


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## Cerberus87 (Feb 29, 2012)

Phantom said:


> I am nocturnal, so I am usually up at night and sleeping during the day. Twice a week I have to be awake during the day for a few hours so those two days are usually pretty sucky. Other than that most days my schedule is wake up as soon as the sun is down, go to bed around 0900, about.


I don't like staying up during the day as well. My times are mostly the same as yours. How do you cope with it? Everybody complains that I'm always asleep, but I can't help it if that's what my body prefers!


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## Datura (Feb 29, 2012)

Eat an apple. It works and it's healthy!


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## Nanabshuckle8 (Feb 29, 2012)

Cerberus said:


> I don't like staying up during the day as well. My times are mostly the same as yours. How do you cope with it? Everybody complains that I'm always asleep, but I can't help it if that's what my body prefers!


Wait, you guys are nocturnal? *tilts head* How does that make sense?

Anyway, (to be somewhat on topic) I forgot to mention that I usually take a short nap in the bus (it's a 1 1/2 hour drive), which is...nice and umm, sort of related to this... I've also found that music sometimes help me sleep, though if it's too awesome I just get too exited to fall asleep so... yeah ^^


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## Cerberus87 (Mar 1, 2012)

Nanabshuckle8 said:


> Wait, you guys are nocturnal? *tilts head* How does that make sense?


Yeah, I hunt rats at night when my vision is better, since during the day my eyes can't take the light. I then go back to my nest during daylight to sleep and take care of my eggs so that some stupid weasel doesn't eat them.


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## Nanabshuckle8 (Mar 1, 2012)

Cerberus said:


> Yeah, I hunt rats at night when my vision is better, since during the day my eyes can't take the light. I then go back to my nest during daylight to sleep and take care of my eggs so that some stupid weasel doesn't eat them.


If you're an owl that can talk, you are my friend. Like, best friend. Ever.


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## Phantom (Mar 2, 2012)

Nanabshuckle8 said:


> Wait, you guys are nocturnal? *tilts head* How does that make sense?


 
I work a night shift, it's easier to work night shifts if being awake at night is your normal thing. It's just how I am. I sort of prefer night though, I'm not sure as to why; night just seems more exciting to me.


Like right now I am losing my mind because it's sunny and there's snow and I have to wear sunglasses because it's so fraking bright. (I got called in for second shift.)


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## Tarvos (Mar 3, 2012)

it's just what you're used to - I have a 2-10 is sleepytime pattern


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## Coroxn (Mar 3, 2012)

I bite my hands to keep me awake. Really hard. Not blood or anything, but there are teethmarks in me for the rest of the day. Used to do the face-slap thing, but it sort of makes people stare at you. Have to be up at seven so on weekdays computer is off by twelve, but on weekends and such I periodically stay up into I'm too tired to. 

~Talking about my own sleep patterns and nothing else makes me feel like a egocentric.


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